Mum warns of fake goods on sale in Hagen

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
SHOPPERS in Western Highlands are concerned about fake goods circulating in Mt Hagen.
The fake goods include toothpaste, dry cell batteries of all sizes, match boxes, coca-cola cans and hair dyes.
The street sellers buy the products from stores owned by Asians in cartons and re-sell them cheaply on the streets.
The packaging, labeling, and sizes looked exactly the same as the genuine products.
A mother from Tarangau area in Hagen complained about a sore gum after she used a packet of toothpaste she had bought from a street seller.
Mary Waiyang from Ganigle village in Chimbu’s Kerowagi district told The National last Saturday at Gomis that when she first brushed her teeth, she felt like something was “cooking” her gum.
She said after two days, it developed into a sore and she found it hard to eat.
She said when she bought the same brand at City Pharmacy and used it; she has never experienced such soreness on her gum.
Mary said two weeks ago, while returning to her house from the town, she saw a young boy selling toothpaste with a Colgate label and bought it for K2, about K4 less than what she normally paid at City Pharmacy.
She said she didn’t know that it was a fake product because the labeling and color looked exactly the same as a genuine product.
She urged others to be careful when buying such goods on the street.
A cigarette seller in Hagen, Janet Max said she never bought match boxes because they never worked. They are always wet.